Guest list for Copenhagen climate meeting grows
The White House says President Obama plans to attend the United Nations climate meeting in Copenhagen as a side stop while en route to pick up his Nobel Prize in Oslo.
Scott Segal, legal partner at Bracewell & Giuliani, notes that direct presidential involvement was crucial to passing the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990s. Segal believes involvement from the Oval Office will prove to be a key element again if anything on climate policy is to become US law.
“As to whether Obama’s attendance will transform the results in Copenhagen, it seems unlikely,” Segal said. “While speaking softly, China and India still seem steadfastly opposed to strict (emissions) targets for emerging nations, and progress on the major sticking points across the board remains slow.”
He does note that Obama's involvement in Copenhagen ultimately might help nudge along climate policy debate in Washington, DC.
I tend to agree with Segal. After so much fanfare and anticipation, it’s going to be hard for the Copenhagen meeting to fulfill broad, public expectations. Personally, I expect to see volumes written by the general media following the meeting, regardless of what happens.
What actually happens in Washington on climate after Copenhagen could prove as important to many oil and gas companies as whatever might happen in Copenhagen.
Scott Segal, legal partner at Bracewell & Giuliani, notes that direct presidential involvement was crucial to passing the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990s. Segal believes involvement from the Oval Office will prove to be a key element again if anything on climate policy is to become US law.
“As to whether Obama’s attendance will transform the results in Copenhagen, it seems unlikely,” Segal said. “While speaking softly, China and India still seem steadfastly opposed to strict (emissions) targets for emerging nations, and progress on the major sticking points across the board remains slow.”
He does note that Obama's involvement in Copenhagen ultimately might help nudge along climate policy debate in Washington, DC.
I tend to agree with Segal. After so much fanfare and anticipation, it’s going to be hard for the Copenhagen meeting to fulfill broad, public expectations. Personally, I expect to see volumes written by the general media following the meeting, regardless of what happens.
What actually happens in Washington on climate after Copenhagen could prove as important to many oil and gas companies as whatever might happen in Copenhagen.
Labels: climate change, Copenhagen, Obama, United Nations
posted by Paula Dittrick, OGJ Senior Staff Writer at
11:26 AM
2 Comments:
We should not be going to Copenhagen; we should be launching a full scale investigation into Climategate. We should also be demanding that those universities and the UN repay the US for money we gave them for 'climategate'.
If the administration does not table a proposal to clean up the fraud, review, audit and reinterpret the science at once he is irresponsible and ideologically following a path that has nothing to do with the state of the climate. Call it intellectually dishonesty. The public position, and the press must stand behind this, is if the leading members at Copenhagen do not do the same the entire effort should be scrapped due to complete loss of crediibility.
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